The Solar Magnet

Sterner St. Paul MeekProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.1

Word count: 59K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Solar Magnet by S. P. MeekAuthor: Meek, S. P. (Sterner St. Paul), 1894-1972,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jul 13, 2009

Editor's review

The Solar Magnet is a science fiction work by S. P. Meek published in the first half of the twentieth century, included in Project Gutenberg's public-domain ebook series. Meek published numerous pulp science fiction stories, sometimes under pen names, and this book continues the style common to the science fiction magazines of its era: scientific speculation and adventure narrative, built around the device-like conceit of a "solar magnet" as the core of its plot conflicts. Its value lies more in the history of science fiction—readers can observe how early science fiction handled the relationship between science and technology and human nature and power, and how writers of the time imagined energy, invention, and risk. The text is short and the language direct, making it a suitable sample for understanding the pulp science fiction tradition. Note that the scientific premises carry obvious period limitations, and characterization and plotting are fairly formulaic; it should not be judged by the standards of contemporary hard science fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in early science fiction and the pulp magazine tradition
Enthusiasts studying American popular literature of the first half of the twentieth century
Casual readers who want to experience a classic science fiction premise in a short format
English learners who prefer direct plotting and moderate length

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the rigorous scientific premises of contemporary hard science fiction
Readers who prefer complex psychological characterization and literary narrative
Readers sensitive to the period-bound expressions of early science fiction

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with the background of science fiction magazines in the first half of the twentieth century before entering the text.
Read it as a sample of science fiction history, focusing on how scientific premises drive the plot.
Take notes on the differences between the book's scientific premises and contemporary knowledge to form comparative notes.
For the English original, pair it with an audiobook or read it in close segments to lower the language barrier.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a short story?

Judging from its inclusion in Project Gutenberg and Meek's writing habits, this is a short science fiction work, closer to magazine short story or novella length. Exact page counts vary with ebook formatting, but overall it is suitable for reading in one or two sittings, not for readers expecting a long epic.

Do the scientific premises in the book still hold up today?

The book was written in the first half of the twentieth century, and its scientific premises carry obvious period limitations; by today's physics standards most would not hold up. Read it as an imaginative sample from science fiction history rather than a scientific prediction. Focus on how the author uses scientific devices to drive the plot and express thoughts on technology and power.

Can someone with no background in science fiction read this book?

Yes. The language is direct and the plot is driven mainly by adventure and device conceits, so the barrier is low. If you rarely read early science fiction, it helps to first understand the basic features of pulp science fiction—premise-heavy, fast-paced, formulaic characters—so you can more easily accept its narrative style and not be thrown off by outdated scientific details.

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About the author

Sterner St. Paul Meek Author · American · 1894–1972

S. P. Meek (Sterner St. Paul Meek, 1894–1972) was an American Army chemist and an early writer of science fiction and children's literature. Born in Chicago and died in Palm Beach, Florida, he published more than twenty science fiction stories in pulp magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction and Amazing Stories between 1929 and 1933, becoming known for serialized tales. His representative works include The Solar Magnet, B. C. 30,000, Giants on the Earth, Poisoned Air, and The Great Drought. After retiring as a colonel in 1947, he turned to children's literature and published over twenty books about dogs and horses. Public information on his life and work is limited; his surviving works show a talent for blending scientific ideas into adventure narratives in an accessible style, making him a noteworthy figure of the pulp science fiction era.